One of the most domineering fountains I’ve encountered in Zürich is in Bürkliplatz, a beautiful park between the edge of Altstadt (old town) and the lakefront. It is clearly dedicated to an Arnold Geiser.
It turns out that Mr. Geiser was the city architect during a formative period in the latter half of the 19th century. According to this page, “At his death the city architect Arnold Geiser (1844-1909) left behind a legacy ‘for a monument to beautify the city.’ The city organised a competition under the Zürich artists. The winner, Jacob Brüllmann was surprisingly not from Zürich, but citizen of Weinfelden and living in Stuttgart. The foundations for the massive sculpture was designed by the architect Jean Freytag. On 20 October 1911, the entire monument was passed as ‘Stierbändiger-Brunnen’ (Bull Tamer Fountain) to the public.”
Two more photos in my gallery starting here.
More detail about Geiser here and here.
David Kotz 